Once A Year
by RynUhara
Summary: Love always finds a way back to each other. It never fails. Even if there were little bumps on the way, they were the best bumps she ever made. Even if one of them asked too many questions at times. (Shinkane fluff warning )


How could she be able to keep his location a secret for so long?

It had been 10 years since Kogami left.

It was really irking Ginoza Nobichika to no end that his former partner wouldn't tell him where his best friend was.

She would leave for a few days every year, off to wherever Kogami was. They would spend alone time and -ahem- reconnect with each other after their time apart.

No one really suspected anything until she came back after the second year they had started to meet up. They had been careless. Akane was pregnant, and she had no explanation of who the father of the child could be.

Of course Gino knew. It was too obvious to him. Yayoi stayed out of it because she knew it was none of her business what her boss did on her days off. Mika had been a little overwhelmed taking control of Division One during Akane's maternal leave. But in the end, they made it through. A baby girl named Ayaka made her way in to the world and things began to settle down.

Akane still took time off to go and meet up with Kogami on her own. She would leave her daughter with the only person she knew she could trust, and come back home as if she had just taken a business trip. Inspector Tsunemori only admitted what she had been doing after she had become pregnant again. Gino was livid, but he promised not to tell anyone.

Everything was fine for a while after she had her son, Shou. They grew up as well as any child could coming in and out of the department on a daily basis. Ayaka had a really sharp mind because of it.

Kogami was definitely aware of the fact that he was a father, and after Shou was born he and Akane agreed that they would be extra careful from then on.

Ayaka and Shou had never met their father, and it wasn't until Shou had turned five that he asked about him for real. Eight year old Ayaka had already heard about him from the times she asked her mother and Uncle Gino about where he was. She was used to it just being the three of them.

They were sitting down eating dinner one night when Shou spoke up.

"Mama, did you know that babies are made because mommies and daddies love each other?"

"Yes, sweetie, I did." Akane nodded as she took a bite of her food.

"So, you and my daddy love each other, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Then why don't me and sis have a little brother?"

Akane began to choke at this question. After coughing it out and regaining her composure, she turned to her son.

"Shou… Where is all of this coming from?"

Shou sighed and looked seriously at his mother with the same gray eyes his father passed on to him.

"My friend from school said that his mama and daddy are going to have a new baby. He said that it's because his daddy lives with them that they love each other. He also said that my daddy doesn't love me as much as his daddy loves him because my daddy doesn't live with us."

"Oh, Shou." Akane smiled and ruffled the small boy's brown hair. "Your daddy loves us. He's just got a lot of busy work that he has to do to save the world. That's why he doesn't come home."

"But how was Shou made, mama?" Ayaka asked after quietly observing their conversation.

"Well… When a mommy and a daddy love each other a lot they-"

"Because my friend said that her mommy and daddy had sex."

Akane gaped at her eight year old daughter, surprised at the words that she spoke.

"Well, it's true, right?" She looked up, giving her a serious look.

"What's sex?" Shou asked his big sister.

"Hey, Shou… Why don't you go and check to make sure Uncle Gino has had dinner?"

"Okay, mama!" He grinned, forgetting his question, and went to go and call his favorite babysitter.

"Ayaka… Do you know what sex is?" Akane carefully made her voice sound steady as she asked her question.

"It's when a mama and a papa get naked and wrestle each other around until they get tired." Ayaka answered, sounding annoyed. "You know that, mama. You and papa do it when you see each other."

Akane's face became red from embarrassment. How did her daughter know this much?

"At least, that's what I heard miss Karanomori talking about. She was using words that I didn't know, though." She casually took a sip of her water. "So, I asked Uncle Gino."

"And what did he tell you?"

"The same crap you were going to say."  
She answered in the same blunt way that Kogami would have. "So, I asked my friend in grade three what it meant. She showed me some pictures she found on her tablet and told me."

"Uh huh… So is there anything else your friend told you?"

"The tooth fairy isn't real." Ayaka looked at her mother and stood. "I'm still asking about Santa, but no one knows the truth about that fat man."

Akane pursed her lips together, trying not to laugh at the seriousness in her child's voice that reminded her so much of her lover.

"Do YOU know the truth?" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.

"Sybil never catches him on the scanners or anything, but I hear his Psychopass is clearer than anyone I know of." Akane said. "But we still need to get more evidence."

"I'll get it…" Ayaka quietly said to herself, not knowing Akane heard her. She turned and walked away, deep in thought, and left the sex talk with her mother. She had more important things to research.

Later that night, Kogami called Akane.

"Inspector Tsunemori here." She answered like normal.

"Hey you."

"Oh. Hey." Akane answered, looking around to make sure that the kids were sound asleep. She quietly slipped out of the room so she and her former subordinate could speak more freely.

"What are you wearing?" Kogami joked, causing Akane to laugh.

"I miss that laugh." His gruff voice spoke on the other end of their connection.

"We all miss you…" Akane whispered.

There was a long silence before Kogami spoke again.

"So… How are the kids?"

"We had quite an interesting conversation tonight, actually." Akane chuckled to herself, going back to what her daughter had said.

"Oh? What about?"

"Well, our son asked about babies being made."

"No way!" Kogami laughed. "What did you say?"

"I didn't have time to really say anything. Aya started talking about sex."

"… What?"

"She said that she had heard Shion talking about us having sex. So she had done research and asked Gino, who gave her an answer she wouldn't accept." Akane explained.

"And…?"

"She asked an older friend at school, who happened to have pictures."

"Ugh. Oh god." Kogami sighed. "So, what did you do?"

"I asked her about it… And all she really knows is that you get naked and wrestle around."

Kogami began to laugh. "I was afraid you were going to say that she actually knew what an org-"

"Kogami!" Akane cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah." He snickered. "You were saying."

"Anyway… I think we have a future inspector on our hands."

"Oh really?"

"She's as relentless as you. She won't stop looking until she gets an answer."

"That sounds like you. You found me, didn't you?"

"Yeah… I guess so."

"Don't give me all of the credit, Akane. You're doing such a damn good job raising our kids." Kogami reassured her. "I promise I will find my way around the System so I can be with you. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon. Don't go wrestling naked men unless they're me, Inspector." He chuckled.

"Very funny." Akane rolled her eyes.

"Hey… It's midnight." Kogami noted. "We get to see each other sooner this year, so try to hold on a little longer."

"You're right." Akane smiled to herself. "Happy new year, Shinya."

"Happy new year, Akane."


End file.
